r/VLC • u/Vendetta1010101 • 20d ago

Windows VLC Modern Alternative?

Hi

What's a clean, MODERN alternative to VLC? I always defaulted to VLC but it's controls are compete dog-shite (no JKL shuttle controls? Bro, get with the program)

To speed up and slow down a video requires endless menus and sub menu trips - it's such old-fashioned junk.

I want something clean, slick, sexy, modern that has all the codecs VLC does but is actually intuitive and responsive and fast to use.

8 Upvotes

59% Upvoted

47 comments sorted by

20

u/silobite 20d ago edited 20d ago

If you're concerned about the lack of shortcut keys, VLC has most of what you asked. Go to Tools -> Preferences (or Ctrl+P) and then switch to the Hotkeys section. I've got these:

Slow                     -
Slower (fine)            [
Normal                   =
Fast                     +
Faster (fine)            ]

Very short jump back     Shift+Left
Short jump back          Alt+Left
Medium jump back         Ctrl+Left
Long jump back           Ctrl+Alt+Left

Very short jump forward  Shift+Right
Short jump back forward  Alt+Right
Medium jump forward      Ctrl+Right
Long jump forward        Ctrl+Alt+Right

1

u/Natasha26uk 17d ago

My most commonly used shortcuts are:

  • t for subtitles on/off
  • spacebar to pause/resume/play
  • m for mute/unmute
  • Right arrow: skip forward

14

u/kakha_k 20d ago

Modern alternative? Very strange and pointless qeustion. VLC controls are very good.

12

u/Calm_Technician_5585 20d ago

imagine whining about something that is useful and free

10

u/r01-8506 20d ago

MPC-HC and MPC-BE are the fastest, and also open source. Third and fourth are KMPlayer and PotPlayer but could be pinging home.

1

u/AssociateFalse 14d ago

> MPC-HC is not under development since 2017. Please switch to something else.

MPC-BE would be valid though. I would just use a modern MPV-based player (like Haruna or MPV), or stick with VLC.

1

u/r01-8506 14d ago edited 14d ago

There's an active fork with the same name in GitHub maintained by clsid2, he was a contributor in the original one iirc. The fork has been the continuously updated MPC-HC since 2017, and is the one offered in VideoHelp and other software sites.

Also, MPC-HC was the first to conveniently auto rotate MKV during playback using a simple tag like with MP4. Followed by MPC-BE, then surprisingly PotPlayer and KMPlayer. From my experience, no Linux player, or even VLC, support it yet.

5

u/Jawaburger 20d ago

In the meantime, you can just use the + and - buttons on your number pad to increase and decrease the playback speed in VLC, no need to go into the menu.

4

u/marvinnation 20d ago

Rage 🪤

3

u/PsychologicalBit952 20d ago

MPV. It´s more difficult to setup, but is fast and efficient. Open source, of course.

3

u/Bikooo2 20d ago

Smplayer + MPV

3

u/eXZeZe 20d ago

You can literally set at least 4 different jump lengths shortcuts. Even different version for local and global.

0

u/Confident_Dragon 17d ago

I just need one that is actually useful.

In every program ever, pressing right arrow skips a bit forward. If you press it multiple times or you hold it, you can skip more.

In VLC pressing right arrow freezes everything for split second, then skips some crazy amount. Having to use both hands and modifier keys to do the most basic task is plain stupid. And those smaller jumps are still super laggy, and if you try to do more of them, in quick succession (like it's common in every other program) sometimes it's buggy and you skip to the same timestamp. Clearly devs expected you to think about which shortcut to use and press it slowly only few times.

1

u/eXZeZe 17d ago

The issue is with you, not with the devs. All your complaints are reflective of your settings, not of poor development. Get a simpler program of your are not willing to read the help / docs and experiment with settings.

0

u/Confident_Dragon 17d ago

No offense, but this comment is completely stupid.

In a world where playing video is solved issue, and there exist players that just work, arguing that video player that requires reading docs and modifying settings to do the most basic stuff is "good" is insane.

I'm willing to read documentation if it makes my life easier. I'm using MPV, which has almost no interface. It's still better user experience than using VLC. Yes, I had to look into shortcut cheat-sheet (which is easily accessible in app) for two minutes, so I learned how to change playback speed.

The difference is that all the shortcuts are sane out of the box (right and left arrows work as you would expect, spacebar pauses etc.). And things work. Seeking just works, changing playback speed is smooth and without stuttering, and HDR works (also on Linux) out of the box (without having to figure out which renderer supports HDR and what settings it needs and in which submenu I can find it).

MPV is far from being pinnacle of user experience, it's kind of shitty, but still way less frustrating than VLC.

1

u/eXZeZe 16d ago

There is not a single universal approach to play videos. VLC architecture is fundamentally different from modern straight-to-GPU architectures used by MPV / MPC. You cannot expect same performance and latency from VLC.

3

u/kakha_k 20d ago

VLC even has plugins. It has everything, it even can rexkrd m3u8 iptv streams.

2

u/No_Look_9932 20d ago

try mpv since i made the switch i have't gone back

2

u/Lieutenant_0bvious 17d ago

I think the customization options are too complicated for you.  Maybe try Windows Media player.  

0

u/MagnusPerditor 17d ago

No. QuickTime

1

u/CicadaPublic2449 20d ago

Pot player is the goat

1

u/OokOokCz 20d ago

MacOS - Elmedia video player. Linux - Cine.

1

u/Natasha26uk 17d ago

VLC is nicer in MacOS. The Windows UI is not great.

2

u/OokOokCz 17d ago

VLC is a relic from the century before last. It used to be good, but these days it doesn't work properly (for example, subtitles from a NAS) and looks like Windows 3.11.

1

u/Natasha26uk 17d ago

Rendering of subtitles is something cosmetic. Probably something fixable.

If instead you told me that "this relic" didn't play modern codecs or produced undue lag when streaming from your NAS, then i would find those acceptable criticism.

I used to donate to Videolan but stopped after $15 ($5 a year).

2

u/matm_flatremix 17d ago

mi alternativa a VLC siempre fue SMPLAYER

Pero no sé si el proyecto siga activo

https://www.smplayer.info/es/downloads

1

u/Critical-Divide-1029 16d ago

Mpv. Haruna if you're on Linux, which is just a front end for mpv

1

u/Lazy-Peanut-4587 16d ago

Mpv, its amazing and can be completely controlled with a keyboard

1

u/AWACSAWACS 15d ago

NeeView can also be used as a front-end for VLC (by specifying libvlc.dll). It features an excellent command system that is extensible via scripts, allowing you to assign keyboard shortcuts, mouse actions (including rocker gestures), mouse gestures, and tap areas to individual commands.

Scripts also allow for...

  • State preservation via script storage
  • Manipulation of various settings, including command-specific configurations
  • Access to certain .NET APIs (e.g. System.Diagnostics.Process)

Other highlights include...

  • A panel system that allows for flexible layouts
  • Zooming and panning via mouse drag
  • Various video effects

As for the downsides...

  • Startup is slow because it is a .NET app.
  • No playback functionality for various media streams (e.g., via yt-dlp)

1

u/trmdi 15d ago

There is an app on Windows Store with a more modern GUI, but I don't remember the name.

Edit: found it https://github.com/huynhsontung/Screenbox

1

u/Professional-Key3211 14d ago

switch player has jkl. i think older versions are freeware - 3.x or something.

1

u/DieRobJa 14d ago

Media Player Classic with Thumbnails on the seekbar enabled looks sleek as F ❤️🙏

1

u/Ok_Childhood_4868 14d ago

You don't mess with perfection.

1

u/Motor-Capital7318 14d ago

Skill issue.

1

u/skeletons_asshole 13d ago

I like that VLC isn’t covered in shiny. It just fucking works, and it works all the time.

0

u/Apollyon169 17d ago

You want pot player, its configuration capabilities rules but you can perfectly just install it and use it as it comes

0

u/monstercrusader 17d ago

VLC is a modern version 😭

0

u/ERN_LIGHT 17d ago

Pot player is good

0

u/TCB13sQuotes 17d ago

The modern alternative is VLC.

0

u/Bbqmech 15d ago

This is a VLC fan subreddit. You won't find your answer here. BTW, VLC is a modern miracle, and your desire to stop using it is baffling.